Washington Legislative Tracking

Please let me know how this is/has been done on this forum and if it is monitored in a ongoing way....(Rally Calls)

The legislative session is going to start heating up starting in November:

Here are some carry overs from 2010 that were introduced:

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?year=2009&bill=6473#history - like

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2009-10/Pdf/Bills/House Bills/3082.pdf - like

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?year=2009&bill=6396 - really don't like (all Seattle Dem's)....

All the rest for your review: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billsbytopic/Results.aspx?year=2009&subject=FIREARMS

Aside from the actual proposed legislation and/revisions, it is an immediate indicator of legislators that support our rights.

These all will get reintroduced and there will be new public hearings for them....and important opportunities for public testimony

Comments?

The upcomming legislative session will have them in deep guano over the budget. Write letters to everyone you have addresses for. Doubt that they want to upset any more than they will by raising taxes, again. Projected budget shortfalls are in the realm of 8 billion in the next few years. They will be checking the couches in the lounge for change, they are that short of money.

Keep the pressure on and support those in the upcomming election that are willing to recognize our rights.

This one is not good at all. It sounds like the old federal "assualt weapons" ban with some extra icing. We all know what happened after that passed. I think this one will die in committee or in the state senate. The Dems in Washington can't take another hit.

jt59 said:

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?year=2009&bill=6396 - really don't like (all Seattle Dem's)....

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amlevin said:

The upcomming legislative session will have them in deep guano over the budget. Write letters to everyone you have addresses for. Doubt that they want to upset any more than they will by raising taxes, again. Projected budget shortfalls are in the realm of 8 billion in the next few years. They will be checking the couches in the lounge for change, they are that short of money.

Keep the pressure on and support those in the upcomming election that are willing to recognize our rights.

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Fair enough, but there were nearly 4,000 bills introduced in the last legislative session with the same financial budget focus/issue/shortfall. As normal, about 10-15% passed.

It is still important to pay attention to the legislative process as they will work specific bills that they have keen interest in (If they sign on as sponsors, they want to move them through the process). ie:

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summ...2009&bill=6396 - We really don't like...(I assume)

Banning assault weapons:

- All four sponsors of this bill are from Seattle/King County
- The prime sponsor of this bill is the Chair of the Judiciary Committee
- The bill was assigned to the Judicary Committee as the first step in the process for review and progress on the Senate side....the Chair (this bills sponsor) decides which bills will move out of committee and into public hearings, they will then vote a "do pass" out of committee to the next one in the process as it moves toward the floor for a vote, then a companion bill will be developed for the other side.
- Senator Kohl-Welles, a co-sponsor is also on the judicary committee
- All four of the sponsors of this bill also serve together on the Ways and Means committee...

These bills are already in the que and will be brought forward in the session.....If we care, we need to track the big list above. It starts in January and is a long session, that gives them more time to deal with more issues beside the budget.

Additionally, most of these bills that I looked at don't appear to have any fiscal notes attached (yet) and so if they are reviewed with neutral fiscal impact to the budget, then they have a better leg of getting traction to the finish line.....and if it does have a fiscal impact, this may be a point of being "left behind" and die in committee...... but if not, then at some point the fiscal impact would get addressed in the main budget committee...that would be the Ways and Means Commitee, where all four bill sponsors sit.

....it's all who you know, you know?

Anyway, my main question is, does this group take any kind of political positions and focused effort to diffuse or oppose legislation regarding our gun rights in WA?

Gods, not 6396 again. That never made it out of commitee last year, and the video was rather funny to watch. I am suprised they are bringing it back up.

Tracking

Just because a bill died in commitee doesnt mean its dead. If the Governor calls a special session all the "dead" bills get re-introduced as a matter of proceedure. I expect some of the so called dead bills to re-emerge next session. Just do a search for "firearms" in the list of bills to find em.

Whitney said:

Just because a bill died in commitee doesnt mean its dead. If the Governor calls a special session all the "dead" bills get re-introduced as a matter of proceedure. I expect some of the so called dead bills to re-emerge next session. Just do a search for "firearms" in the list of bills to find em.

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Xactly...these bills are all last years and will be this years retreads...if a bill doesn't make it out of committee in the first legislative session it is introduced, it automatically gets put back in the que for at least the next session.....

Here's the total list, I only used the reference above as an example of "inside" action on the bill.....who the sponsors are, how the legislators are all pretty chummy working on all the same committee's and all. If I know one thing, if a bill gets to a public hearing and that's the venue used to voice opposition, you are already a month late...the real decisions about it have already been made, public hearings are just a courtesy unless you get about 100 people in the room:

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billsbytopic/...bject=FIREARMS

jt59 said:

voice oppositionhttp://apps.leg.wa.gov/billsbytopic/...bject=FIREARMS

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That is all you get to do at that point. I always thought those hearing are worthless, because the train has already left the station.